Researchers are now recording progress in creating digital transistors using a material called graphene, potentially sidestepping an obstacle which dramatically limited the material’s use in computers and consumer electronics.
Electrons in semiconductors like silicon exist at two energy levels—known as valence and conduction bands. The energy gap between these two is called the band gap. Having the proper band gap enables transistors to turn on and off, and this allows digital circuits to store information in binary codes. Chen has led a team of researchers in creating a new type of graphene inverter, a critical building block of digital transistors. Other researchers have created graphene inverters, but these had to be operated at 77 degrees Kelvin (minus 196 Celsius or minus 320 Fahrenheit).
